Celebrity Infinity

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Celebrity Infinity to Alaska - June 2012

Sail Date:
June 2012
Destination:
Alaska
Embarkation:
Seattle

So.....I'm just not sure about cruising.... After my Greek cruise....I said that I wasn't going to cruise again UNLESS: (1) I was cruising with really fun people and I didn't really care about where I was going, or (2) I was ok with just getting a 'taste' of where I was going and didn't care if I missed seeing the cities in depth....

In Greece.....I felt really 'ripped off' because I only got to spend 3 hours in Santorini and I wished I had 3 days....or more....

A cruise is really great if you want serious relaxing time.....depending on the cruise. There are 2 ways to cruise.

1. Book the cruise and walk around the cities where it stops yourself or book small excursions. Very relaxing.....then back to the ship for more relaxing time.
OR
2. Plan to spend another ton of money on amazing excursions that are going to take you to the depths of your stop and/or do More
things like helicopter rides to glaciers, floatplanes, train-rides to the Yukon....all sorts of adventures...but lots of additional money. By the time you finish your adventure of the day....you are pooped and go back to the ship.

I've never spent the ton of additional money. I think the people that do - have a pretty amazing time....if they like that type of stuff.... I've always been on the 'cheap' side of booking excursions....and the real 'let-down' to me is that the stops are usually full of tourist-trap shops and that is ALL! There is usually not much to see on your own.....and to me that is a serious rip-off. Why would I think that stopping in THREE different Alaskan cities and there would be NOTHING except tourist-trap shops??

So....again, if you don't really care about seeing much....there are benefits to a cruise vacation.

Good things: You don't have to think about money at all! You get to eat in nice restaurants all day long...get waited on hand and foot....and not think about money. The crew works soo hard and you feel pretty great about all that they do for you....your room is spotless 3 times a day.....you can get room service for meals anytime you want.....we ordered breakfast IN most mornings which was great!

I love the entertainment.....big shows at night.....and smaller music throughout the day....jazz quartets, a capella singing group, guitar players with vocals....I like all the music. Other assorted classes can be fun....napkin folding, iPad hints, watermelon carving demo, and all that stuff....just fun.......and there was a Naturalist who spoke to us a few times a day who was UNREAL. I was captured even if I didn't care about what he was talking about!

I found a million comfy chairs looking out at the water where I could sit and read or talk...or visit...or listen to music.....so that was great.

But....things I am NOT interested in are: casino, drinking, trivia, newlywed game, and that type of stuff. I don't fault anyone who loves that stuff. I happen to know no trivia! But some people love trivia and bingo.....

WORST PART for me: Having to wear the TransScop patch. UGH!!! If I could tell you much torture it was.....it was horrible. I hate it. I have gotten seasick and carsick since I was a little kid so I am not willing to take a chance. It is HORRRRIBLE but works amazingly well!!!! Haha! I was so dried out that I could barely breathe or speak....if I didn't have water with me....I might have died.....But.....I never felt queasy even for a second......

More good things: I loved having a patio/balcony....opening the doors and just staring at the water or the glaciers, etc. It was amazing....but costs extra, of course. In this case....double. Also....my roommate and I were so much alike....we talked to everyone and met sooo many interesting people. We'll never see them again....but we had a blast getting to know so many people.... Not many people are like that but I think the people we talked to really loved talking to us, too....it's just most people won't stir up a convo with a stranger like we did!! We also got to know some of the entertainers which was fun. Most people think they are 'gods' and are scared of them! Not us!!

So.....would I go again? Probably. I might try Bonine next time. But, I would NOT go on a cruise with one person who didn't want to do the same types of things..... I was LUCKY with my travel-buddy! {{It was also really fun when I cruised with 12 people --- when I booked a cruise for the teachers in my school...so a group of people is great because no matter I went on the ship....I ran into someone from our group.....}} There were LOTS of honeymooners on our cruise....and that was nice to see..... This cruise had very few kids....and I also liked that. Almost NO teenagers.....! They want the beach.....

Also: This was my first cruise on an upscale ship - Celebrity Infinity. My previous cruises were on Carnival and an ethnic Greek cruiseline. NO COMPARISON!!! An upscale ship is worth every penny. The ship was beautiful and clean....and the food was far superior. I got us upgraded numerous times to AquaClass so we had a 'specialty restaurant' that we were entitled to eat in.....only people in AquaClass could eat in BLU where we ate...and it was beautiful and nice. We also got a larger stateroom and larger balcony....and a deluxe bathroom and shower. Yes! Nice amenities. I liked these....some people don't care. I have one friend who cruises all the time and always books the cheapest inside stateroom and says it's just fine....for a lot less money. Different strokes for different folks. I could do that, too...and travel more....but it sure was nice having the deluxe accomodations!

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Cabin review: 2A1123 Deluxe Ocean View with Balcony 2A

We were in 1123 which is an AquaClass stateroom. The room was quite nice with a decent amoun of space. The closet had plenty of room including 6 drawers. We had a nice size desk/vanity that also had cabinet space on either side. We had a sofa and a small table which was great for breakfast in the room. There was a huge tv and a mini-bar below it with more counter space. Our bathroom was great for a cruise! We had counter space and storage on shelves above and also cabinets below. We had a REAL shower stall with a HansGroe rainshower which was wonderful. We had nice, big, soft towels. The only thing lacking is that there is NO outlet in the bathroom. Also, the hairdryer that is provided is very hard to use as you must hold a button in and it's really hard to hold in! Our balcony was big with 2 chairs and a table. The overhang is only over about 1/2 the depth of the balcony so when it is raining...the balcony is soaked....and it rained a lot! We were AFT so we often had to go down to 9 to walk over and then back up to 11. But....we loved our room!!

Port and Shore Excursions

Mendenhall Glacier

We enjoyed being driven to the glacier and getting to see it. We didn't get much time but it was beautiful. Our guide was very nice and told us lots of interesting things about the area so that was nice! There is nothing to do in Juneau itself other than tourist-trap shopping so we were glad we took this tour.

City Tour

We really did not get a tour of the city. The streetcar went straight up to the totem poles...gave us a nice little overview and then back down. They waited for people who were late and that cut into our tour. I didn't think they gave us what they promised. There was no tour of Ketchikan like we expected.

Street Car Tour

We wandered around the Empress Hotel. Our port stop was from 6 pm to midnight so it was too late to go to the Parliament Bldg or the museum. Most people just wandered around (in the rain) and then returned to the ship. We had to pay for a cab into town and back to the dock....I felt the ship should have shuttled us. Many people never got off the ship in Victoria.